2018 Temperatures Making History In The Duluth Area

It's no secret that it's been warm lately. While heat and humidity are signature components of summertime in the Northland, this spring/summer's heat has been historical for the Duluth area in two different ways. Duluth's National Weather Service office shared these statistics on their Facebook page on Sunday.

The first of those ways is in terms of the overall average temperature since May 1. That average temperature from May 1 of this year through yesterday (July 14) is 61.9 degrees, which is tied for first in the almost 150 years of weather records. While 61.9 doesn't sound all that warm, consider that it is looking at overall daytime averages since the beginning of May, and it makes a little more sense. How does it compare to the others on record? Here's a rundown.

Average temperature May 1 - July 14

2018 - 61.9 degrees (TIE FOR 1ST)

2012 - 61.9 degrees (TIE FOR 1ST)

1988 - 61.2 degrees

2006 - 60.0 degrees (TIE FOR 4TH)

1995 - 60.0 degrees (TIE FOR 4TH)

1977 - 59.8 degrees

2007 - 59.5 degrees (TIE FOR 7TH)

1955 - 59.5 degrees (TIE FOR 7TH)

1987 - 59.3 degrees (TIE FOR 9TH)

1921 - 59.3 degrees (TIE FOR 9TH)

The second benchmark of note is the number of days where we've seen a daytime high of 80 degrees or higher at this point of the year. We've saw a total of 26 days from May 1 through July 14 where temperatures hit 80 or higher. That's just three days short of the Duluth record of 29 days in the same time period of May 1 through July 14 . Here's a rundown of the top counts of 80+ degree days for that timespan:

Number of days at or above 80 degrees between May 1 and June 14

29 Days - 1988

26 Days - 2018

23 Days - 2012 (TIE FOR 3RD)

23 Days - 1910 (TIE FOR 3RD)

22 Days - 1987 (TIE FOR 5TH)

22 Days - 1980 (TIE FOR 5TH)

22 Days - 1921 (TIE FOR 5TH)

21 Days - 1984

20 Days - 1966

19 Days - 1970

For those that aren't a huge fan of the warmer weather, the good news is that temperatures are expected to remain in the 70s through midweek next week. There are a few days, though, where temperatures are expected to get really close to 80, and could exceed that point, adding to that total of days at or above 80 degrees.